Well, that was fun.

Auburn’s offense hadn’t had anywhere near the kind of production it did in Saturday afternoon’s win over Mississippi State since the Tigers’ win over Samford in Week 3 on Sept. 16.

The Tigers came out fast and furious as head coach Hugh Freeze dialed up an up-tempo offensive approach and the Auburn defense held up its end of the bargain, not letting the Mississippi State offense find the end zone until the fourth quarter.

With it all, the Tigers snapped their four-game losing streak and kept their hopes of bowl eligibility alive with a 27-13 win over the Bulldogs Saturday afternoon from Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Here are the takeaways from Auburn’s win, which improves the Tigers to 4-4 (1-4 SEC) this season.

Auburn uses lead-footed offense to attack Mississippi State early

Prior to Saturday’s game against Mississippi State, the Auburn offense hadn’t scored on its first drive since the season opener against UMass on Sept. 2. Since the Tigers’ win in Week 1, four opening drives have ended in punts, with the other two ending in turnovers.

But that finally changed against the Bulldogs Saturday as junior Michigan State transfer Payton Thorne and the Tigers’ offense generated an eight-play, 75-yard scoring drive that saw Auburn use the up-tempo approach Freeze said he, offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery and Thorne felt more comfortable using.

“My history has been around tempo, and RPO,” Freeze said Monday. “I think Monty is more comfortable in tempo, and it seems Payton is more comfortable in his skill set with some of that.”

Auburn scored points in four of its six opening drives, while averaging a play every 25.5 seconds in the first half.

Auburn’s 24-3 lead over Mississippi State was the Tigers’ largest halftime lead since leading Samford 17-0 and the second-most points they’d scored in one half since going up 31-7 at halftime against UMass in the season opener on Sept. 2 — much less the most points Auburn has scored against a Power 5 opponent all season.

Thorne serves as true QB1, tosses 3 TDs in win

Freeze said Thursday night during his time on Auburn’s Tiger Talk radio show that the Tigers would have to throw the football if it wanted to have success against Mississippi State’s chaotic defensive front.

And that statement alone had Auburn fans feeling antsy considering the Tigers’ season-long struggles passing the football.

Prior to Saturday’s game, the most passing yards Auburn had tallied against a Power 5 opponent was 154 passing yards against LSU. The game prior against Ole Miss, Auburn’s quarterbacks tallied just 26 passing yards in the first three quarters before finding a bit of momentum in a fast-paced fourth quarter.

But finally, with Thorne acting as the Auburn’s main quarterback Saturday and Robby Ashford only taking a small handful of snaps, the Tigers’ offense was able to successfully pick apart the Mississippi State defense — both on the ground and through the air.

In Thorne’s first two drives, he went 8-for-9 through the air for 120 yards and a pair of touchdowns — a mark that eclipsed Auburn’s total passing numbers in four different games this season. And again, Thorne did it in just two drives.

By halftime, Thorne had tallied 192 passing yards on a 15-for-20 passing effort and three touchdowns.

And for those who haven’t been keeping track, it had been quite some time since Auburn had a quarterback toss three touchdowns against a SEC opponent.

(Spoiler: It was Bo Nix against LSU in 2020)

Thorne finished his day 20-for-26 for 230 yards and three touchdowns, completing passes to 11 different receivers.

Ja’Varrius Johnson was Auburn’s most efficient pass catcher with two receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown.

Meanwhile, Shane Hooks and Jeremiah Cobb also hauled in touchdown passes Saturday.

On the ground, it was junior running back Jarquez Hunter who led the way with 144 yards on 17 carries — including a 32-yard sprint and a jaw-dropping hurdle in the second quarter, and a 50-yard scamper in the final quarter.

Auburn defense misses on shutout bid, but keeps Mississippi State out of the end zone until the final quarter

After his ramble on his “Plankton mentality”, Auburn veteran defensive back Jaylin Simpson said Tuesday that the goal of the Tigers’ defense was to pitch a shutout. And with Mississippi State playing without its starting quarterback and its starting running back Saturday, it felt like a prime opportunity the Tigers to do just that.

However, with senior quarterback Mike Wright under center and freshman running back Seth Davis relieving their injured teammates, the Bulldogs were still able to bite the Tigers’ defense with some chunk yardage plays.

In Mississippi State’s opening drive, Wright connected with Zavion Thomas on a 32-yard pass in the Bulldogs’ first play from scrimmage. Two plays later, Lideatrick Griffin ripped off a 17-yard rush, forcing the Tigers’ defense to shake awake after two quick jabs to the gut.

And once shaken awake, the Auburn defense settled back into the same bend-don’t-break mentality it’s played with all season and didn’t allow the Bulldogs to find the end zone until the fourth quarter, despite giving up a pair of field goals prior.

Auburn junior linebacker Eugene Asante led the defense with nine tackles, a tackle for a loss and a pair of quarterback hurries, while senior safety was responsible for the game’s lone turnover as he intercepted Wright midway through the fourth quarter.